Gas leak at SRS 7 & 8 May 2010

Workers flee factory gas leak

On Friday workers were suffering from headaches and nausea. They raised this problem with Supervisors but were told to keep working. Some workers went outside but were told to return to work. Some workers were still suffering from headaches and nausea on Saturday and Monday so they sough help from their GPs.

On Saturday 8 May 2010 workers were suffering again. About 130 workers were evacuated from the factory in Tottenham in Melbourne's west because of a gas leak.

Paramedics and fire-fighters used oxygen to treat 30 patients affected by the carbon dioxide leak.

A Metropolitan Ambulance spokesman said patients suffered nausea and headaches, with one person taken to hospital in a stable condition.

A Metropolitan Fire Brigade spokesman said crews were called to the Somerville Retail food packaging plant on Kalingra Rd about noon.

He said 15 fire-fighters were on site using fans and air monitoring equipment to help disperse the fumes.

If you suffered from this gas leak and needed ambulance help, were taken to the hospital or had to go to your own doctor for treatment you can claim the costs on WorkCover. You should not have to pay the costs yourself

If you have lost time (ie needed time off work) you need a WorkCover/WorkSafe Certificate of Capacity. You also need to fill in a WORKERS' INJURY CLAIM FORM (whether it is for lost time or just medical costs). Keep copies of these papers and give the originals to Management.

Somerville Retail Services (an/or their insurers) should pay the costs.

We understand that WorkSafe Victoria were called, they should have been because an incident like this is a 'Notifiable Incident'. A copy of the WorkSafe Inspector's Report should be given to the workers' elected Health and Safety Representatives for the workers who were affected.

If you are members of the AMIEU contact us and we will make sure that you are receiving your entitlements.